KUANTAN: The tragedy of the Darul Quran Ittifaqiyah tahfiz school fire yesterday, which claimed the lives of 21 students and two teachers, has sent shock waves of worry among parents in Pahang.
Questions on the safety of existing tahfiz schools in the state are topmost in the minds of parents here whose children are undertaking classes at similar schools.
Nafisah Omar, whose 15-year-old son had been studying at such a school here over the last three years, is vocal in her belief that tahfiz schools must take the initiative to ensure safety of students and staff.
The 46-year-old secondary school teacher said the schools’ management must be diligent in conducting their own checks on the safety of the buildings where these classes are conducted.
She added that the owners of these schools must also ensure that the environment was free from fire risks.
“All tahfiz centres must conduct fire drills which would teach students safety measures that they can take when an emergency occurs,” she said, pointing out that these pro-active steps would prevent fires from even breaking out in the first place.
“However, I have faith in the tahfiz school where my son is currently enrolled.”
Meanwhile, Zuraidah Abu Bakar, whose four children are enrolled at three tahfiz schools here, believes that parents must also play an active role in the matter and not just leave it to the authorities.
“Parents must do their own checks on the safety of tahfiz schools before registering their children there. This is important as some parents are too focused on the syllabus offered by the tahfiz schools rather than how safe the schools are,” said the 46-year-old housewife.
“I have been sending my four children to a tahfiz school, where before registering them, I have checked the structure of the building and the safety of its location.
“I have even entered the schools’ hostel to ensure there are alternative doors for them to use in case of emergencies.”
Zuraidah said such measures would cut down on the risk of casualties from fires, among other things.
On May 18, Pahang Fire and Rescue Department director Datuk Abdul Wahab Mat Yasin had said that the department was conducting fire safety checks at 137 public and private religious schools in the state.
He had said the checks would be done in stages and would be completed by 2019.